While demand for nanoparticle-enhanced products has increased over time, developing techniques for integrating nanoparticles into products has remained a challenge.
The current processes used to isolate nanoparticles, in particle metal nanoparticles, offer limited functionality for attachment to substrates, and very little if any substrate specificity. Current approaches result in inefficient uses of high value materials, relatively low reliability, and dislodgment of the nanoparticles during high stress periods. Although there are many approaches to attach nanoparticles to various substrates, current approaches fail to ensure that the nanoparticles remain firmly affixed to surfaces under high stress conditions such as exposure to high temperature, agitation, or repeated washing.
Despite the challenges, various markets are now emerging that take advantage of the properties provided by nanoparticles. For example, silver nanoparticle decorated textiles are an emerging market. The silver nanoparticles serve to reduce microbial growth in fabrics. Current technologies typically rely upon precipitation or coprecipitation of silver onto fabrics, in situ formation of nanoparticles, or extrusion of silver with textile fibers. In other techniques, silver and other nanoparticles may be attached to textiles using electrostatic interactions. Silver nanoparticles have also been sprayed onto textiles. However, for decorated textiles using such prior techniques, recent studies have shown that the silver may be leached from the garments.